Buffing mechanism for car-platforms.



- 0; T. WESTLAKE & 0. E- PREDE.

BUFFING MECHANISM FOR GAR PLATFORM$ APPLICATION FILED 11011.0, 1-911v Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

)NVENTORS CHfiFr'L/ES I wean 4K5 CHHRLES F2 FREDE WIT/V5555 To all whom it may concern unis; iearnr orient CHARLES '1. VVESTLAKE AND CHARIiES F; FREDE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS T0 DOUBLE BODY BOLSTER COlVIPANY,

or new JERSEY.

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION BUIEFING MECHANISM FOR CAR-PLATFORMS.

resents.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

ratenrea net. to, iota.

Be it known that we, CnAnLns T. Wns'r- LAKE and Customs 1*. Fauna, citizens of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missoul-i, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Bailing Mechanism for Car-Platforms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a cast plied to cast metal platforms such as are now in general use inpassenger car construction, and the principal objects of the invention are to construct the skeleton platform and buifer beam sothat a form of buffing mechanism now in use on a number of passenger cars, and of a type accepted by the M. C. 13., can be readily applied to the platform and buffer beam, and further to provide a construction wherein the operating parts of the buffing mechanism can be readily placed in or removed from position without detaching the vestibule or the buffer beam from its stems thereby permitting the bulling mechanism to be easily and quickly repaired when any of the operating parts have become broken or unfit for service.

lVith the above objects in View our invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts here inafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates the end sill of; a cast metal car underframe of the type now in general use, and formed integral with and projecting forwardly from the central portion thereof is a pair of vertically disposed walls 2 on the upper and lower edges of which are provided with laterally projecting strengthening flanges 3, and formed integral with the lower edges of said walls and connecting the same in a horizontally disposed plate 4:. Formed integral with the sill l and projecting forwardly therefrom at the sides oftheplatQs 2 is a pair of vertically disposed wcbs 5, and formed integral with the upper edges thereof-are inwardly projecting flanges (3. Formed integral with or rigidly fixed to the forward ends of the plates 2 and webs 5 is a buffer beam 7 of the usual hon shape, and located on top of the central portion ofthis buffer beam is a threshold plate 8.

The numeral" 9 designates a bufling member of the usual typo positioned in front of the beam 7, and positioned on top of the buffer 9 is a plate 10 which is adapted to slide beneath the threshold plate 8. ,The buffer 9 is carried by the forward ends of a pair of side buffer stems 11 and the central portion of said buffer bears against the forward end of a center bull'er stem 12. All of the buffer stems are arranged to slide freely through corresponding openings 13 formed through the front and rear'walls of the buffer beam 7. The front portions of the side buffer stems 11 are preferably square or non-circular'in cross section, and the rear portions of said side stems which occupy positions within the skeleton platform comprising the plates 2 and webs 5 are preferably round in cross section, and extreme rear ends of said rounded portions slide through suitable bearings formed in transverse plates 14 which latter are formed integral with the plates 2 and Webs 5. Formed integral with the upper edges'of these transverse plates 14 are horizontally disposed flanges 14 which occupy the same horizontal plane with and are practically continuations of the horizontally'disposed flanges 3 and 6. Allof the'flanges 3, 6, andl t occupy the same-horizontal plane with the top plates of the end sill and hufier beam and thus the top of the entire casing is smooth and devoid of projections which would interfere with the flooring laid on top of the platform casing. Located upon these side stems and bearing against the shoulders formed between the non-circular forward portions and rounded rear portions are follower plates 15, and bearing against said follower plates are the forward ends of side buffer stem springs 16, the rear ends of which bear against the transverse plates 1 1. Formed integral with the plates 2 and t and projecting inwardly from the inner faces of the plates are vertically dispose-d webs 17 which are located a short distance from the rear wall of the buffer beam 7,

and formed integral with the front sides of these webs and with the corresponding portions of the plates 2 are horizontally dis-- posed brackets 18 which are perforated so as to receive bolts or rivets. Vertically disposed webs 19 which are counterparts of the webs 17 are formed integral with the rear portions of the webs 2 a short distance in front of the end sill 1, and formed inplates 22 are two sets of curved leaf springs 23, and positioned between said springs is a spacing block 24. i

The numeral 25 designates a follower plate which bears against the forward ends of'the plates 22, springs 23 and block 24, and formed integral with said follower plate25 is a cylindrical housing 26 in which is seated one end of a compression spring 27. The forward end of this compression spring carries a front follower plate 28 which bears sion springs 30.

directly against the rear end of the center bufiing stem 12, A rear follower plate29 bears against the rear ends of the plates 22, springs 23 and-block 24, and interposed between said follower plate 29 andthe front wall of the end sill 1 is one or more compres- The bufiing'gear just described is of a well known type, accepted by the M. C. B., and after this gear, has been inserted in the pocket between the walls 2 a cover plate 31 is'positioned over the greater portion of said gear, and said cover plate is held in position by means of rivets or bolts which engage in the perforated brackets 18 and 20. The

brackets 18 and 20 besides providing means for attaching the cover plate .31 materially strengthen and reinforce the webs 17 and 19 that form stops or bearings for the plates 21.

Under normal conditions the expanded side bufier springs 16 hold the buffer 9 at its outer limit of movement, as shown in Fig. 1, and during the coupling of two cars the 'bufier 9 is moved inward toward the beam 7,

and asa result, all of the buffer stems are likewise moved inward, thereby simultaneously compressing the side buffer springs and the compression spring 27. "When the front follower plate 28 bears against the forward end of the cylindrical housing 26 said housing-and the plate 25 will be moved rearwardly thereby moving the plates 22 rearwardly and at the same time toward one another by reason of their engagement with the. inclined faces of the plates 21, and as said plates 22 ,are ,moved toward one another the leaf springs-23 will be engagedand at tlie'same time the spring 30 will be compressed by reason of the rearward movement of the 3 follower plate 29. lhus the side buffer springs 16 and spring 20 are compressed during the coupling operation and after such operation" is completed, the heavy bufi'er springs and friction mechanism come into operation to absorb buffing" stresses between the coupled cars.

By our improved construction which is comparatively simple and can be readily manufactured the skeleton platform and buffer beam are arranged to readily accommodate an accepted form of buffing gear, and

- thus the platform and bufiing'gear are combined to provide a very strong and serviceable construction, and the various parts of the batting gear can be easily andquickly placed in proper position upon the beam and platform or'removed therefrom without detaching the vestibule or the buffer from its stems, and thereby said construction is especially advantageous and desirable when it is necessary to make repairs or to renew any parts which have become worn or broken in service.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of our improved bufiing mechanism can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without. departing from the spirit of our invention,

the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

We claim:

In a bufling mechanism of the class described, the combination with an integral one piece structure, comprising an end sill, a buffer beam, a pair of verticallydisposed walls integralwith and connecting the cen-' tral portions of the bufier beam, and end sill, which walls are spaced apart to form a. center buiiing gear pocket, an imperforate bottom plate integral with the lower portions of said walls, outwardly projecting flanges integral with the upper edges of said walls, which flanges occupy the same horizontal plane with and are practically continuations of the top plates of the end sill and buffer beam, pairs of stop lugs integral with and projecting inwardly from said walls, horizontally disposed lugs integral with said walls behind the stop lugs, which horizontally disposed lugs are perforated to receive fastening devices, a cover plate positioned over the center bufling gear ocket, a pair of side walls, spaced apart rom the first mentioned pair of walls, flanges integral with and projecting inwardly from said side walls, which last mentioned flanges occupy the same horizontal plane with and are practically continuations of the top plates of the end sill and buffer beam, transversely disposed webs integral with and arranged between the side walls and the first mentioned pair of walls, which webs are provided with bearings for the side bufi'er stems, and horizontally disposed flanges integral with the upper ends of the transversely disposed webs, which last mentioned flanges occupy the same horizontal plane with andare practically continuations of the flanges on the upper edges of the longitudinally disposed webs, of a center bufling gear positioned in the pocket between the central pair of walls,

parts of which buffing gear normally engagie against the stop lugs on said walls, side bu ng stems operating through the buffer beam-and the transversely disposed webs, a center bufiing stem operating through the buffer beam and cooperatin with the center buffing gear, and a bufimg member cooperating with theouter ends of saidbufier stems. In testimony whereof we hereunto alfix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses, this 28th day oi October, 1911.

CHARLES T. WESTLAKE. CHARLES F. FREDE. lVitnesses:

- B. E. KUHL,

HAL C. BELLVILLE. 

